


The Three

by koalathebear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Gen, OT3, One Shot, Speculative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 15:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5460686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalathebear/pseuds/koalathebear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bits of this taken from Alan Dean Foster's novelisation of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  I love the Finn/Rey ship but I also love the Rey/Poe ship and couldn't really decide, so decided that I didn't have to choose - and neither did Rey.</p><p>Set at the end of the movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Three

Poe Dameron, having called in his teams in relief after spotting the _Falcon_ leaving Starkiller Base, was waiting for the ship as it touched down on D’Qar, settling into a vacant space between the remaining Resistance X-wings. 

He watched Chewbacca emerging from the Falcon, holding an unconscious body in his arms. Medical personnel and officers waiting to meet them escorted the pair inside the complex.

Following in the Wookiee’s wake, was an exhausted-looking young woman - he assumed that this was Rey - the young scavenger from Jakku who had made such an impression on Finn that despite his understandable terror of being retaken by the First Order - he had been prepared to put his life in danger and go to the Starkiller Base....

As if she sensed she was being studied, Rey turned her head slightly and their eyes met for one brief moment. There was a moment of shared understanding, a flicker of interest before the grounds crew urged Poe forward. The moment was broken and he walked past Rey and saw that she was walking towards the General wordlessly.

Poe watched as Leia took the young girl’s face in her hands and then the two women embraced without embarrassment or hesitation. 

*

Hours passed without word from the medical centre. When the doctor finally emerged from the intensive care section, Rey nearly fainted at seeing the smile on her face. The physician’s words confirmed Rey’s hope.

“Your friend’s going to be just fine.”

“Thank you.” It was all Rey could think of to say.

Dr. Kalonia looked down at her. “I don’t get to treat many lightsabre wounds. It’s such an old weapon. People today prefer to fight with rifles and blasters, from long range.” She shrugged. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. Death is death, no matter the mechanism that is employed to beget it.” Her smile returned. “But not for your friend. Not this time.”

*

Located somewhat apart from the swirl of main activity inside the Resistance base, the conference room was perfect for a strategic gathering. Leia was there, as well as Poe, C-3PO, BB-8, a handful of chosen officers, and an assortment of equipment and gear that was considered important but was little used.

Never one to defer in the presence of superiors, Poe spoke first.

“Kylo Ren said that the segment held by Beebee-Ate is the last piece of the map that shows the way to Skywalker’s location. So, where’s the rest of it?”

“The First Order has it.” Rey looked over at him. “They extracted it from the Imperial archives.”

Poe stared at her. “The Empire?”

Admiral Statura nodded in agreement. “It makes sense. The Empire would have been looking for the first Jedi temples. In destroying all the Jedi sanctuaries they would have acquired a great deal of peripheral information.”

So intent were they on the current conversation and its possible ramifications that no one noticed that a light had come on atop a small R2 unit shoved back among the rest of the equipment in the room. Nor did they see that its hemispherical head had turned to look in their direction.

“We’re still at war with First Order,” Leia pointed out. “A war that won’t end until either it or the Resistance is destroyed. The next time, without Luke, we won’t stand a chance.”

The silence that ensued was broken by a flurry of beeping and whistling the likes of which the sombre gathering had not heard in some time. In the case of this particular beeping and whistling, not in years.

No one was more surprised than C-3PO when R2-D2 came rolling forward to join the assembly.

“Artoo! What—what is it? I haven’t seen you this functional since—” He was interrupted by a fresh farrago of beeping that all but drowned him out. “Slow down! You’re giving me data overload!” Whether the mechanical hand that rose to the side of the golden head to indicate a headache truly reflected what the protocol droid was feeling or was simply a gesture for the benefit of watching humans, only C-3PO knew.

An excited Leia moved closer. Of all the organics in the room, no one had a more personal relationship to the little droid than she did.

“What’s he saying?” she asked.

The protocol droid explained. “If the information you are seeking was in the Imperial archives, he believes he may have catalogued that data. He’s scanning through it now.”

Rey stared at the diminutive droid. “Artoo has the rest of the map?”

“He’s certainly implying the possibility!” C-3PO told her. “I’ve never heard him beep with this much energy before.”

Emitting a long, sustained whistle, R2-D2 projected a full three-dimensional image of a huge navigational star chart. No one in the room could fail to notice that it was missing a substantial fragment. In response to the hovering image, BB-8 began beeping excitedly.

“Yeah, buddy, hold on,” Poe told him. “I have it.”

Moving to the side of the spherical droid, the pilot removed from a sealed compartment in his clothing the tiny and very old data device he had originally received from Lor San Tekka. Inserting it into an appropriate receptacle in BB-8, Poe stepped back. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a lens on the droid’s curved side came to life, projecting a large section of starfield. Shrinking it down so that its proportions matched those of the missing piece within R2’s map, BB-8 adjusted his position slightly.

The two disparate portions merged perfectly to form a completed chart.

“Oh, my stars!” Threepio’s exclamation was no less astonished than those of his organic counterparts. “That’s it!”

What caused Leia to sway slightly had nothing to do with the Force and everything to do with heartfelt emotion.

“Luke…”

“The map.” Rey could only stare in wonder as her eyes wandered over a shining, resplendent portrayal of a substantial portion of the galaxy. “It’s the whole map!”

“Artoo!” C-3PO’s tone was that of a proud relative complimenting a member of his family. “Artoo, you’ve done it!”

Cheers and spontaneous embraces filled the room with so much joy that no one paid any attention to who was hugging what representative of whichever species. Rey and Poe were no exception to the infectious celebratory joy in the room, turning and embracing one another despite being complete strangers. Their sudden, tight clinch of shared excitement led to a moment of mutual awkwardness as they stiffened and then released one another abruptly.

Rey's face was flushing hotly as she stared up at the tall Resistance pilot, his visage, framed by dark, thick waves of hair. He was proud of countenance, carelessly good-looking with dark eyes and a ready smile. 

“Uh, hi,” the pilot mumbled. “I’m Poe," he introduced himself a little awkwardly after the fact.

She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding that she liked it. There was a kindness in his dark eyes and a self-deprecating humour that she found very appealing. He was older than she was, although his age was hard to guess. “Finn mentioned you … I saw you earlier ...you were looking at me."

"Well you were looking at me, too," he pointed out with a grin

"So you’re Poe. Poe Dameron, the X-wing pilot. I’m Rey.”

“I know who you are – you're the reason Finn went back ...” He smiled back, a little more at ease. "I also recognise the jacket," he remarked, his smile growing wider. “It's nice to meet you at last.” He studied her face. She was even more appealing up close. Dark-eyed, dark-haired she was as pretty as she was brave and clever. "I heard you're a pretty good pilot."

"And I've heard the same about you," she replied.

*

At the medical centre where Finn lay inside an intensive care pod in a medically induced coma, his health and life still very much in the balance. Dr. Kalonia’s prognosis had been favourable, even positive, but nothing certain could be said until Finn had fully recovered. When wholly parsed, the phrase “be all right” could mean one thing to a physician and something else entirely to the patient.

Sitting beside him, a deeply concerned Rey watched over him, tears in her eyes. At her side, was an equally concerned Poe Dameron. The two of them had been there for many hours, exchanging stories and providing comfort.

"Dr Kalonia says that the wound was cauterised by the light sabre – and that it didn't pass through any vital organs…"

"Finn's tough."

"Kylo Ren could have killed him," Rey whispered.

"I've had the dubious pleasure of meeting him ... and being interrogated by him at the Starkiller Base," Poe muttered harshly, his face tightening at the memory.

"And me," Rey confessed, telling him of what had happened. Poe's eyes widened, awe and admiration in his dark eyes.

"I made it through the torture … but I failed to resist the interrogation," Poe admitted, shame in his eyes and voice.

"He's very powerful … " Rey told him, sympathy in her voice. "And evil … to murder his own father in cold blood …" she shuddered as she recounted what she had witnessed.

"No wonder the General is devastated," Poe said in a low voice.

Without knowing how it came to be, they sat with hands clasped as they both watched over Finn. Poe saw the expression in Rey's eyes as she brushed her hand over Finn's brow and his eyes widened when she leaned back against him so that he could move to put his arm around her narrow shoulders. 

"Is he your boyfriend?" Poe asked carefully and Rey shook her head.

"No … but he's … something …" she whispered. She turned her head towards him and she was close enough for him to lean in and brush his mouth against hers – but he didn't. Instead, he reached up and brushed her dark hair away from her strong, lovely face and the light caress of his fingertips was somehow more intimate than a kiss.

"And me … is there something there, too?" he asked her daringly. Her full mouth curved in a smile but she said nothing.

"I wish the General would let me go with you to find Luke Skywalker," Poe muttered beneath his breath. 

"Chewbacca will be with me … besides, your teams need you …" she pointed out. Poe exhaled slowly, regret and frustration kindling in his eyes.

Finally, it was time to go. Leaning in to Finn as closely as the pod would permit, she kissed him softly, her words full of determination. "We’ll see each other again. I believe that. Thank you, my friend," she told him before allowing Poe to pull her to her feet.

Their booted feet echoed on the floor of the medical centre and before they left the building, Poe said abruptly,"Be safe."

"I'm used to looking after myself," she replied diffidently.

"You're not alone anymore – you have people to worry about you," he told her and raised her hand to his lips in a strangely courtly gesture. There was a flush on her cheek as she returned his gaze, a little confused by the feelings that the pilot evoked in her. They had known each other for such a brief period of time and yet …

"But Finn – " she began, awkwardly.

He gave her a crooked smile, his lips brushing against her knuckles before he released her hand and touched her cheek once more.

"I know how you feel about him – and how he feels about you. You don't have to choose," told her bluntly and her eyes widened. The sound of the crowd outside distracted her. It was time to go.

*

Chewbacca was performing the usual last-minute checks of the ship’s external systems. Ordinarily it was a two-person job, but he insisted on doing it by himself.

Poe stood back and watched as the General stepped forward to speak with the young woman from Jakku.

"May the Force be with you," he heard her say, tears in her eyes and softness in her voice. Leia Organa had experienced so much sorrow and suffering in her life.

Rey walked up the ramp, turned her head slightly and her gaze met Poe's before she was inside the ship and the ramp closed behind her. 

Poe watched the _Millennium Falcon_ leave, no doubt in his mind that he would see Rey again.

**Author's Note:**

> The hug between Poe and Rey is canon if you count the novelisation as being canon. In terms of why I ship these characters, read more here: http://koalathebear.livejournal.com/1532107.html


End file.
